


Restitution

by ThatHatter



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, But she comes back, Character is MIA for a while, Crossover, Drama, F/F, Kryptonian Culture, Minor Sanvers, PTSD, Sanvers - Freeform, Science Babies, SuperCorp, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-04
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-09-06 13:19:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8753149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatHatter/pseuds/ThatHatter
Summary: How 2X08 should have ended.  The heroes of Earth-1 have a message for the people of National City, and an explanation on why their Heroine hasn't been seen in days.  The news is not welcome, but does offer hope to a select few, including one Lena Luthor.  Upon Supergirl's return, however, it is readily apparent to everyone that not all is well with their Hero.





	1. Revelation

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Supergirl or any of the associated characters.

Across National City, screens flickered. Ads on billboards, televisions, phones, computers, tablets, all went dark. Then: 

A man appeared. He was faintly familiar to some. He wore a red suit with a curious lightning bolt insignia. The screen closed in on his face. “People of National City. I am the Flash.” 

The screen flickered. A masked, hooded man, garbed in green. “I am the Green Arrow.” 

Another flicker, and a woman in white appeared. “White Canary.” She gave a strange little salute. 

A flicker, and a gruff man scowled at them. “Heatwave.” The word (name?) was terse. 

A man with glowing white eyes. “ I am Firestorm.” 

A woman with short hair and a red mask appeared next. “Speedy.”

The screens went black before the Flash appeared again. “We are here on behalf of Supergirl.” 

The Green Arrow returned. “We are from a parallel universe. Another Earth. One where Supergirl and Superman do not exist.” 

The White Canary flickered onto the screen next. “Our world was attacked by alien invaders, and we called upon your Heroine to aid us in defeating the Dominators.” 

Images flooded the screens of tan monstrosities with bulbous skulls and spindly teeth. 

Heatwave appeared, scowling out at them. “She answered our call.” 

Next came the other man, Firestorm. “She left her home, her universe—this universe—to help us fight, to protect our universe.” 

Static, then Speedy appeared. “With her help, we defeated the Dominators.” 

Images flashed across the screens. The man in green firing arrow after arrow. Heatwave setting the Dominators alight. White Canary piloting a ship. Others, the woman in red, another man with a star on his suit. Firestorm clinging to something massive before it turned to water. All of them fighting. Amidst those flashes, Supergirl soared over them. They saw familiar beams shoot from her eyes, saw her throw one hulking Dominator, saw her dive down and catch the man in green. 

The Green Arrow, the one Supergirl saved, returned. “The Dominators left our world. Our Universe is safe.” 

Another image. This time, the heroes stood together, united, with the President (maybe, they could not be sure—she appeared to be the president but it was another Earth) in the middle. Supergirl stood among them. 

“Supergirl made our victory possible,” Heatwave muttered to them. 

The people of National City stood taller. This was their hero. Superman may go off world from time to time, but not even he was so trusted that those of another universe sought him out for help. 

“But before she could return home to you, a new enemy arose,” the White Canary informed them, her expression grim. 

Flash was back. “This enemy called himself Prometheus.” 

Firestorm looked at them. “A human.” 

Speedy. “A human.” 

Green Arrow. “A human.” 

A man in a red robotic suit appeared, destruction all around him. In the image, the people saw Speedy and a few of the other heroes, including Heatwave, lying, unmoving, on the ground. 

“Supergirl fought him,” the Flash informed them. Viewers thought they might have seen a tear track down his cheek. “She won, but at a terrible price.” 

New images, this time of Supergirl’s heat-vision zapping miniature rockets fired from his cybernetic arms. A flicker, then Supergirl and Prometheus were grappling, twisting. Supergirl’s mouth was open in a war cry before she froze, her grip like iron on him. Fear filled her eyes. She shook her head in disbelief as Prometheus laughed. Her expression hardened. She grabbed him around the waist and took flight—the camera followed them, going straight up—up—up. 

An explosion, one outside the Earth’s atmosphere, they were sure, but visible all the same.

“Supergirl is missing.” Heatwave was solemn. 

“Our teams are searching for her even now,” Firestorm assured them. 

The screens flickered to White Canary. “But we could not allow the people of her home to believe she had abandoned them.” 

Green Arrow. “Supergirl save us.” 

Speedy. “Saved all of us twice over.” 

The Flash again. “And we will bring her back. If not alive, then so she can have a proper memorial in her chosen home.” 

White Canary appeared. “Before the fight with Prometheus, she gave us a letter, one with her final words.” 

Heatwave was back. “She meant for us to tell you if the Dominators defeated her.” 

Speedy. “But her words still stand.” 

The Flash. “To Alex. Please, live a long and happy life. You have given up so much for me. You deserve love and joy more than anyone. Please, be happy.” 

Speedy again. “To J’onn. You told me once that any man would be proud to call me his daughter. What I was too afraid to say then is that I am proud to call you father.” 

The Green Arrow. “To Cat Grant. You were the greatest teacher I could have asked for. It is my hope that you do not regret taking me on as your student. I hope to make you proud.” 

Heatwave. “To James and Winn. You are my brothers in all but blood. You are my family, just as much as Kal. El-Mayara.” 

Firestorm. “To Kal. I regret that I could not sing you the songs of our people, could not teach our ways. May Rao forgive me for failing you and our family.” 

The White Canary. “To Lena Luthor. Our city may not know what you have done but I do.” The whole of National City stopped breathing. “You are a hero, Lena, regardless of your family. You saved so many lives when you took down Cadmus. I am forever in your debt. I regret only that I did not have more faith in you. It was a poor way to return your friendship. I am sorry.” 

Static. 

The Flash looked out at them again. “To the People of National City. Have Hope.” 

Speedy. “Have Hope.” 

Firestorm. “Have Hope.” 

Green Arrow. “Have Hope. We are looking for her.” 

Heatwave. “Searching.” 

White Canary. “We will find Supergirl.” 

Flash. “We will bring her back to you.” 

Green Arrow. “Thank you.” 

Flash. “Goodbye.” 

An arrowhead appeared on the screen, followed by the lightning bolt, then the letter L, followed by Supergirl’s crest. The image faded. Across the city, billboards changed to display ads. Phones and tablets blanked then opened Candy Crush, Pokémon Go, Tumblr and Youtube. Televisions played their regular shows and movies. News anchors started blankly at cameras. One woman wiped a tear from her eyes and a man gripped his tie with a shaking hand. 

In a small apartment, Maggie held her girlfriend, confused and afraid. Alex sobbed, inconsolable. 

At the DEO, J’onn stared at the monitors, unblinking. Winn let out a choked moan before stumbling from his station. No one stopped him. 

James sat at his desk in Cat’s office, head in his hands. 

At her cabin retreat, Cat Grant saw an incoming call, but ignored it in favor of another rousing round of Settlers of Catan with Carter. 

Across the country, a caped hero flew an injured man to hospital, unaware. 

In her office, Lena stared at her presentation. She’d been going over numbers with her board when everything was hacked by these alleged heroes, when she was informed that Supergirl had gone off to save another universe, when her role in the downfall of Cadmus was revealed. Her board was staring at her, eyes wide, unsure. 

She blinked once, twice, then resumed to presentation as if nothing happened. 

Later, much later when everyone was gone, even Jess who looked at her with no small amount of hero worship, she sat at her desk. She sipped a glass of water then admired the way the light reflected on the glass. “This certainly explains why she never came to see me afterword,” she murmured to herself. 

Setting the glass aside she began to examine the signal that hacked her system. She smirked. “I see what you did. Who would have thought. Tachyons, eh?” She tapped her chin. “I have a few prototypes I can adapt. Never considered universe jumping. Tricky, very tricky.” Lena stretched. “Hmm, I can begin working on that tomorrow.” 

Standing, Lena went to her private elevator and took it down, down, down to the hidden levels where she kept her personal labs. She walked out and approached three people, all rescued from Cadmus, all rescued from her mother. She spoke to the man in the hospital bed first. He was the only one who could talk back, regardless. 

“How are you this evening, Mister Danvers?”

He looked up at her, circles under his eyes, his face lined with exhaustion. “Jeremiah. Call me Jeremiah please.” He asked her that everyday. 

She gave an elegant, noncommittal shrug. “Healing well?” 

He shifted, movements twitchy. “Well enough. You usually come down a lot sooner. News from aboveground?”

“Something like that.” She played the newscast for him. 

“At least someone finally thanked you for stopping Medusa.” He looked distracted, worried. Thinking of Supergirl, likely. 

“I need your help. I saved you when I took down Cadmus, Mister Danvers. I’ve been helping you heal until you are ready to see your family again. Help me save her.” 

Jeremiah shook his head. “This is so far outside of my field. I… I can’t.” 

Lena stepped closer and opened her mouth to speak, but fussing to her left drew her attention. Lena immediately went to the large bassinet and lifted an infant into her arms. A girl in a pale blue sleeper with Supergirl’s crest. The other infant, a boy bearing Superman’s crest, slept soundly. It was late. She really needed to get them home. 

Lena looked at the sleeping boy, the girl in her arms. “We need to find her and bring her back. You heard what she said about Superman. I need your help to get her back.” She looked up. “She doesn’t even know Cadmus created Lexie. Kara deserves to know her daughter, to teach her what it means to be Kryptonian. Please.” 

He rubbed his face. “I… I will do what I can. You should probably call Eliza and Alex. They might be able to help too. Maybe not tell them about her, though.” He nodded to the child. 

Lena sighed in relief. “Thank you, Jeremiah. Thank you.” 

The girl squirmed lightly. Lena turned away and made soothing sound to the child. “Okay, Lexie, it’s okay. Mommy’s ready to go home now. Let’s get Connor and we can go. Hopefully, we can bring your Mama home soon, too.”


	2. Reconnection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena returns the courtesy call to the Heroes of Earth-1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I did not intend to write more... but this concept would not leave me alone. I decided to add to it. I am not sure how long this will be yet. I am currently working on the fourth chapter. It keeps getting bigger and bigger. I will say that this chapter is pretty boring, but necessary in that it lays the groundwork for what I have planned. That said, please enjoy and leave a comment. I am always looking to improve.

After weeks of searching for Supergirl, and failing quite spectacularly as they could not find a single trace of her, Caitlyn and Felicity were ready to give up. Even Cisco wavered in his determination to find Kara. There had been no sign of the alien who had come to their rescue, despite the various bits and pieces of Prometheus’ suit they had scavenged.

“What if we went back to her world? Got something of hers? I could use it to vibe,” Cisco suggested, though he seemed to be talking more to himself.

“You already tried with the letter. It didn’t work. You didn’t see anything. Just cold and a black void and a blinding light. Kinda contradictory there, but it’s your vibe, not mine. You’re not gonna see more,” Sara reminded him. She was sitting to the side, reclining in a chair, boots propped up on a table.

“First, rude. Second, feet down. Third, the letter wasn’t really hers, since it was something she wrote for other people. If we can get—”

“If I could have your attention, heroes of a parallel universe,” a woman’s voice interrupted him. Immediately, they turned to look at computer screen. A woman looked back at them. Pale skin, raven hair, ruby lips, and eyes that seemed to pierce their hearts. Caitlyn shuddered. “I am Lena Luthor, resident of National City,” she introduced herself.

Sara eyed the woman. “So you’re Lena. Nice.” Felicity rolled her eyes. Sara smirked.

“Some time ago, you slipped into this universe—my universe—and stole Supergirl away from us.” She smiled coldly. “You then proceeded to lose her. Tut, tut. Hardly good manners to take without asking, and then losing what was never yours. Regardless, you really should have expected some sort of pushback after your message.” Sara hummed appreciatively when Lena Luthor of National City lifted a single brow.

“You tell us that you stole away our Hero, used her for your own ends, then left us with the belief that you would find her. You, who called Supergirl to your world to solve your problems, would find her? Hardly seems realistic.

“Did you even try to hide your signal? It was very easy to trace—even across the dimensional fold. Tachyons do leave a rather unique trail.” She smiled again, but there was no warmth. Cisco whistled his approval, even as he shuddered.

“If you are worried that others will see this, you needn’t be. As I said, it was very easy to trace your message to the source. I suppose you didn’t think you needed to hide it, what with being in a parallel universe and all. You will find that I returned the favor and my signal is equally easy to trace so you can find me. I have information that can aid in finding Supergirl, you see, and I have a vested interest in the Girl of Steel returning to her own universe.”

Sara grinned. “Oh I like her,” she purred.

“However, being the CEO of a major corporation, among other things, prevents me from travelling there myself. As such—you came to get her. You can, therefore, come to see me and acquire this information.”

She leaned back. “It’s all here. Trace the signal. Find LCorp. Ask to speak with Lena Luthor on Kara’s behalf, and you will be shown in immediately.” She cocked her head to the side. Her lips twisted in a faint sneer. “Hurry along now. My time is precious.” A new symbol filled the screen, a large blue L.

Silence.

“I would formally like to volunteer to go speak to Lena Luthor,” Sara offered, raising her hand.

“Can you stay focused or are you going to try and get in her skirt?” Felicity asked wryly.

“Who says I can’t do both?”

“We need to get Barry,” Cisco muttered to himself. “It may be a trap and he can help. He should be able to get here soon, unless he is working.”

True to form, Cisco barely had time to say there was news about Kara before a rush of wind announced Barry’s presence. He looked to them, eager for the news, ever optimistic about finding Kara.

“We should call Oliver too,” Felicity said. “We don’t really know this Lena Luthor.”

“We don’t have time,” Barry said, shaking his head. “She was right. Time is different for them. I should have remembered. I was with Kara for hours that first time, and I think only seconds passed here. That might have just been a fluke, but we can’t risk it. If I go now, I should get what we need and be back in seconds.”

“I’m going,” Cisco added quickly. “If I take some of our equipment, I can get everything prepped there. Should save a bit of time on this side of the fold.”

Barry nodded. “Good point. Felicity, I need you to call Iris and everyone, tell them what’s going on, please? Just in case.” He didn’t wait for a response, already moving with Cisco to create the portal they would need.

“I’m going too,” Sara piped up, following them. “No way am I gonna miss this.”

In short order, the trio created the portal and were winding their way through National City in their civilian attire. Graffitied on the walls across the city, they saw Supergirl’s symbol, the S, with the words Have Hope around it. It was uplifting in some respects, and disheartening in others. Time passed differently. Supergirl had been gone for three weeks in their world. It may well have been months here.

Even after so long, Supergirl still inspired Hope.

LCorp was easy to find, the building towering over many others. Barry cleared his throat and shifted uncomfortably when the secretary looked at him in annoyance. “Hi. I’m Barry, I’m here to speak to Lena Luthor on Kara’s behalf.”

The young man paled and quickly picked up the phone. He muttered something into the phone before looking up. “Miss Luthor will see you now.” He pointed to an elevator to the far left.

Barry and the other quickly realized there was only one button inside. Confused, they pressed the button and waited. Sara palmed a knife. The doors opened into a business suite, a woman sitting at a large desk, doing paperwork. Sara and Cisco recognized her easily.

Lena Luthor, in the flesh.

“You’re fast,” she offered as they entered her office. “I wasn’t expecting you until tomorrow.” She set her pen down. “White Canary,” she said, nodding to Sara. Sara gave her a smirk and salute in return. “And you have the build of the Flash. You, though I don’t recognize.”

“Vibe,” Cisco introduced himself. “Tech support.”

“Of course. All good thieves have some measure of tech support.” She smiled at them, but it did nothing to hide the venom in her eyes. Lena hummed and pulled something from some hidden place in her desk. “Here you are. All of the information you will need. I recommend you read through it here to save time—your universe vibrates at a lower frequency than ours, so you’ll want to take advantage of our passage of time. I have someone who can help you understand the data.”

Cisco frowned at the travel drive. “I know you are trying to help, but I know plenty of stuff about this already.”

Lena looked at him, eyes cold, but went on as if he had not spoken. “While my family has a long-standing history with the Supers, there is one other family who could compete with my knowledge.” Her eyes flickered away for the briefest of moments before looking back at them. “And here comes one of them now.”

As if summoned, the same elevator they used opened. A man was there, sitting in a wheelchair. He pushed a button on the armrest of his chair and moved toward them. Lena looked at the man, eyebrow raised in a question.

The man spoke, his eyes meeting Lena’s. “Sleeping,” he said, not bothering to explain.

“Doctor Jeremiah Danvers. You could say he is an expert on Kryptonian physiology. I recognize that, as a Luthor, I do not demand much in the way of respect when it comes to a Super—and even less by virtue of being from a different universe and therefore an unknown—but I think you may be more inclined to listen to him, considering it was his daughter you stole.”

Barry and Cisco shifted uncomfortably, feeling both guilty and justified in asking Kara for help.

“We didn’t steal her. It was her choice,” Sara offered, examining her nails. “No one forced her to come.” She cocked her head to the side. “No one could force her to come.”

Lena scoffed. “You met her. You know she can’t say no if someone needs help. You forced her hand just by asking.”

“Enough, please, we have work to do,” Barry interrupted softly. He looked at Jeremiah, eyes watering. “She’s my friend. Yes, I asked for her help with Dominators knowing she would agree. I never thought it would end like this, I swear. And to be fair, it wasn’t the Dominators that… that…” He clenched his jaw and looked away.

“Of course,” Jeremiah answered kindly. “Let’s do this. She’s been gone too long. We want her back.”

With that, the Danvers family sat with Cisco and Barry, talking quietly about the data Lena had compiled. Sara, however, watched Lena sitting at her desk, calmly completing paperwork. She approached her.

“Lena, right?” Sara ran her eyes over the woman, a smirk pulling at her lips. “Kara never mentioned you, except for the message. I wonder why that is. Supergirl’s message to you was pretty sweet, if you think about it. How do you two know each other?” Sara watched her.

Lena leaned back, tapping her pen lightly on the desk. “We are… friends.” The word caught in her throat.

Sara smirked. “Heard that tired old line a time or two. You know, finding a way to contact another world? Not something friends do. Usually, contacting different universes comes for something more… significant.”

Lena looked as if she was going to reply, but a light flickered on her desk, and she immediately stood. “Excuse me.” And with that, she simply walked to the elevator and was gone. Sara watched her go. She had wanted to speak more with her, with Lena. She was a good woman, Sara could see, but there were shadows in her eyes, familiar shadows. Sara wondered what this woman had seen—and what she had done. Experience told her it was nothing good.

Four hours later, Cisco wriggled excitedly. “This is great. We figured she was in space, so this? We can totally use this to track her.” He hesitated then. “But she’s been gone close to a month in our world. Will she even be alive?”

Jeremiah rubbed his face tiredly. “Hopefully. Kryptonians are different, enhanced. Sight, hearing, taste, even their sense of smell is off the charts. Kara went for over a month without sleeping when she first came. Maybe she can survive without the things we need. It’s never been tested.”

“Here’s to hoping,” Barry said softly.

To Sara’s dismay, they returned to their Earth without seeing Lena again, arriving just as Felicity finished her call to Iris. “Why did I even bother if you were going to be gone for a minute?” She grumbled to herself.

“I’ll flag down the Waverider,” Sara called, already jogging away.

Felicity frowned, confused. “What happened?”

“We did some studying in Kara’s world. Time is way different there. For future reference, we can totally go there for a vacation. We were there for hours,” Cisco explained, connecting his computer to the rest of the system. “We think we have a way to find her.”

Felicity perked up. “What’s the plan?” She asked, taking her seat.

“That Luthor lady, who may or may not be a stalker, jury is still out on that one, gave us tons of info and even had Kara’s dad there to explain it, and I think he’s been missing since Kara was 14. Not gonna tell her he’s back—he asked us not to because that’s the sort of thing he should tell her. It was kinda awkward. And by kinda, I mean really awkward. Basically, Luthor—which totally sounds like a villain’s name—and Kara’s dad gave us a way to track Kara based on her DNA.”

“Awesome. Yes, yes, these are very nice numbers. Let me just… and this, oh yeah. Oh, I get it. Never would have thought to track… yes. Here we go. Yes, that should do it.” Felicity looked at Cisco, the two immediately high-fived. “Teamwork.”

Cisco grinned. “Makes the dream work.”

“Alright, I’m outta here,” Sara’s voice interrupted. “Got a solar lamp and everything. Don’t ask how. I’m going to head out to where she would have been before. Point me in the right direction once you get a lead.”

“Thanks Sara,” Barry said, relieved.

“We will give you intel as we get it,” Cisco added. “Numbers are plugged in, we are scanning and waiting to find her now.”

“Waiting is always the worst part,” Barry said to no one.

-R-

Supergirl had been missing for nearly four months. Four months of stiff, weekly calls to Alex Danvers to see if her sister was back from her surprise trip. Four months of board meetings. Four months of early mornings and late nights. Four months of getting to the office before anyone else so no one could see the children.

But more, four months of dealing Connor’s colic alone. Four months of soothing away Lexie’s night terrors alone, though she had slept through the last few nights. Four months of LCorp and being a single mother when she could count on one hand how many people knew her children existed. That is, herself, her mother, Superman, and Jeremiah Danvers. She could give LCorp back to Lex before she would tell Alex or Eliza about Lexie or Connor before she told Kara. Even then, Superman only knew about Connor.

So yes, it had been a long, agonizing time. Lena inched closer to the edge each day, but Connor’s smiles, Lexie’s laughs, and hope that Kara would return kept her from falling so far she could not pull herself back up.

And then, it was all over the news. A bank robbery. Four robbers, seven hostages, an injured little girl. Negotiations were in progress to get the little girl out so she could be taken to a hospital.

A flash of red—  
                        —gunfire—  
                                         —screams—  
                                                            —Silence.

Supergirl was there. The thieves were unconscious. Supergirl knelt before a crying woman, arms out for the child. She lifted the little girl up and took off. A minute later, it was reported that Supergirl had taken her to the hospital. A slew of interviews followed, the people of National City crying that their beloved hero returned.

The next day, Supergirl stopped a car accident.

An hour after that, Supergirl flew a man having a heart attack to the hospital.

Three days later, she fought an alien trying to kill the humans at an anti-alien rally.

Each time, she saved the day. Each time, she vanished without a smile, a “you’re welcome” or a nod of acknowledgement.

She went to her lab. Jeremiah indicated that he had not heard anything from Kara, though that was no surprise as he rarely left. He was still unwilling to tell his family that he was free of Cadmus, though she could not understand why. He had focused all of his energies on their latest project, a new AI program based on the Kryptonian technology Cadmus had stolen.

Her weekly call to Alex revealed that no, she had no heard anything from her sister’s so-called surprise trip. There had been a frustrated note of fear in her voice to accompany her story that Kara had broken another phone and was incommunicado at the moment, telling Lena that Kara had not had any contact with her sister. It all became abundantly clear to Lena. Supergirl was back.

Kara was not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In Chapter One, someone pointed out that, per the comics, Connor's name should be Conner. I know. I prefer the former's spelling, but from what I understand, it is also the Irish spelling for the name, and Katie McGrath, who plays Lena, is Irish. It was a nod to my head-canon that Lena was Irish before she was adopted by the Luthors, thus her accent slips. 
> 
> As for the Heroes of Earth-1, it will be awhile, but we will see them again. Alex will also get more page time in a few chapters.


	3. Reclamation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena is finally able to speak to Supergirl. The results are puzzling.

Supergirl had been back for two weeks when Lena was finally able to speak to her. She’d tried calling her phone to find the line was never in service. She’d tried leaving her balcony door open and sending out a high-pitched frequency to attract her attention. She’d even tried calling for her. Lena was sorely tempted to send another message to those fools in another universe and demand answers on just what, exactly, they did to Kara. 

No one had managed to speak to her, not even her sister. Alex took it all very personally, based on the continued weekly phone calls, but Lena suspected there was more to the story than anyone knew. Cat Grant hadn’t been able to either, having returned when she found out about the ominous message from the other heroes. 

Supergirl was everywhere. Over the last few weeks she had stopped two more bank robberies, seventeen muggings, four drug deals, and even broken up a bar fight, among many other things, including saving a family of five from a house fire. She even got the pet hamster out. She never smiled, never waved, never talked. She merely did her duty and vanished. Superman had appeared, giving an interview where he asked to speak with his cousin, but received only silence in return. 

Still, she was able to arrange to speak to Kara. By the end of it, she counted herself as lucky. It wasn’t hard, once she actually thought about it. All she had to do was pay a large amount of money, wired through several dummy accounts, to have someone attack her. Being a Luthor made it easy to fund the venture and being Lena made an attack believable. 

Being a hero, Supergirl swooped in to save the day, easily knocking the hired thugs unconscious. Of course she did. What was unexpected, however, was that she did not fly away immediately. She turned, she looked at Lena for the briefest of moments and nodded before lifting into the air. 

“I need to talk to you about Cadmus,” Lena shouted as Supergirl floated over the balcony. Supergirl stopped mid-flight, a light breeze rustling her cape. “Come back. Please. It’s important.” Supergirl turned and lowered herself down the ground. Privately, Lena was surprised. She hadn’t expected Supergirl to actually stay, hadn’t expected to really be able to speak to her. 

Lena had the chance to look at her, really look at her. She was pale, terribly so. Not the paleness of one who rarely ventured outside, but the paleness of one who was sick. Her cheeks were hollow, and her lips, usually pink and wide in a bright smile, were now paper thin, pulled down in a grim line. Tension filled every part of her body. But her eyes. Oh her eyes. They were still the most beautiful shade of blue Lena had ever seen, but now her eyes were impossibly sad. She’d seen eyes like that before. Many times. For years, she had looked into the mirror and seen that sadness reflected back at her. 

Supergirl had been broken, and there was no trace of Kara in that gaze. No wonder she hadn’t seen or heard from Kara. Lena was sure she was buried deep within Supergirl. 

Whatever had happened in that other universe had done this to her. In the privacy of her mind, Lena made a mental note about how she would handle anyone from Earth-1 if they should ever return. It was something that would need careful consideration, but it was also something she did not have time for. 

“What do you need to tell me about Cadmus, Miss Luthor?” Supergirl asked, folding her arms in front of herself. Her voice was firm, distant, with not even an echo of the warm tones Lena remembered. 

Lena considered her words. “I need to take you to my lab. I can’t explain here.” 

Supergirl looked at her for a moment. “Can’t or won’t?” 

“Both,” Lena answered honestly. “You will understand when you see.” She gestured behind her. “We need to go to my private lab.” 

Supergirl looked at her for a long moment, and Lena was certain she would refuse, but then she nodded once and stepped forward. Her movements were eerily silent. Together, the pair moved toward the elevator, stepping around the unconscious men Lena had hired. She would have to wire them a large bonus. Even criminals needed to eat, after all, and these would have hefty medical bills. If they escaped, at least. 

The elevator seemed to take far too long. Lena could feel her heart pounding. Once, Supergirl turned slightly and opened her mouth as if to speak, before pursing her lips and looking away. Lena closed her eyes and took a steadying breath. She was absolutely not thinking of what she would do to the alleged heroes of Earth-1. She could not afford to, lest she fall like her family before her. 

Finally the doors opened, and she stepped into her lab. The lights were dimmed, of course. It was late afternoon. The children were napping. Connor’s colic only seemed to bother him at night, usually when Lena was trying to sleep, and Lexie’s night terrors had stopped abruptly several weeks before. Lena had plenty of suspicions about that, but dare not say them aloud, not yet. 

Supergirl stood, frozen, in the elevator. Lena had to put her arm out to stop the doors from closing as Supergirl, as Kara, stared at the bassinet. Supergirl inhaled sharply through her nose, her eyes fluttering closed before she shook her head. “I should go.” 

“You should meet your daughter,” Lena offered in return. 

Eyes still closed, Supergirl made a chirping sound, one no human could possibly make. It was so very soft, but it immediately woke Connor and Lexie. To Lena’s surprise, both mimicked the same chirping sound. Both began to fuss. Without hesitation, Lena went to them, making soothing sounds as she deftly scooped Lexie into her arms then reached down and stroked Connor’s cheek. 

After several minutes, Connor relaxed. He stared up at her, little tongue poking out between his lips. Lexie was looking over Lena’s shoulder—directly at Supergirl, she was sure. She turned. Supergirl had stepped out of the elevator now, but was staring at them with haunted eyes. 

Supergirl stepped forward slowly, slowly, fearfully. She reached out a tentative hand to Connor, but let her hand fall away as she stared at him. Supergirl muttered something Lena didn’t understand. Both infants—though they would not be considered infants much longer she supposed—watched Supergirl. Connor stared solemnly at her. He was always a grim-faced child. Lena worried about him. 

“He smells like Kal,” she muttered eventually, her eyes on the boy. “And she… she smells like,” Supergirl hesitated. “Like me.” 

Lena raised a delicate brow. “Smells?” 

Supergirl shifted, uncomfortable. “Kryptonians… our senses are sharper here. All of them. Touch is weird, but sight, hearing, taste, and smell are all stronger. Everyone has a scent, you know? But your scent is always tied to your family. Family smells the same but different.” She was talking more to herself than to Lena. Her eyes flickered between Lena and Connor, but never once to Lexie. “And Kal? Superman?”

Lena had not expected the conversation to veer into this topic so quickly. “I spoke with Superman. He was… disinclined toward caring for him.” She did not bring up the look of horror that melted into disgust at discovering the boy was his. She did not blame him. Connor’s other father was Lex. She would be horrified too, though for very different reasons. Still, Connor was her nephew, so she fully intended to care for him since his father would not. 

But Supergirl was nodding, her eyes distant. “Yes. He was always very busy. It is not an easy thing, protecting the Earth.” 

You did it, Lena wanted to say. You protected this Earth and another. You were willing to die for another Earth. She remained silent. 

“Plus, you know, consent. A child was created against his will.” 

Lena stiffened. She had not considered that. Was that why Supergirl refused to look at Lexie? She looked down at the child in her arms. She’d wanted a child for a long time, but had been quite convinced that no one would have her. She was a Luthor, for which most people hated her, but not a real Luthor, for which the rest of the world rejected her. 

Well, not everyone. There had been one person. Kara Danvers. Supergirl. The one person who seemed to be willing to give her a chance. And nowadays, she had Jeremiah. 

But more, she had Lexie and Connor. Her daughter and her nephew. Her children. She was determined to raise them together. Connor was a few days older, but she wanted them to be considered twins. It would be easier on them. They would have to know the truth eventually, she knew, but this would do for now.

She forced her attention to Supergirl. She frowned. Supergirl’s attention was focused solely on Conner. “Her name is Alexis Dawn. Alexis means ‘defender of the people’ so I thought it was fitting, considering her lineage.” 

Supergirl twitched. “And his name?” 

Lena did not hide the scowl. “His name is Connor Allen.” Anger rose in her. There was absolutely nothing wrong with Lexie, so why was she being ignored? “Are boys favored over girls on Krypton?” She eventually asked. 

Supergirl shook her head and murmured something in another language then lightly touched the crown of Connor’s head; Connor relaxed under her touch. “No,” she answered simply. 

“Indeed. How do you explain why you are ignoring your daughter, then?” Her words were cool. Board members would know they had entered dangerous waters had they been present. 

“It’s worse for him. She will be fine, she always is, but him? He will… he needs….” Supergirl closed her eyes, her entire body going slack for a moment. Supergirl had become dangerously pale. “I need to sit,” she said distantly. 

“There is a chair to your left,” Lena answered, setting Lexie in the crib. 

Supergirl looked over at the chair, nodded, and promptly collapsed onto the floor. With Lexie in the crib, Lena immediately dropped down beside Supergirl to find out what was wrong. Her eyes locked with Supergirl’s, only to find a tear sliding down her cheek. Lena reached out to her, but Supergirl gave a little cry and a choke before tears tracked down her cheeks in earnest. Awkward, unsure, Lena touched Supergirl’s shoulder, her hair, her back, her arm before finally wrapping her arms around the sobbing woman. She had never comforted anyone other than Connor and Lexie, had certainly never been comforted herself, so she could only hope this was the right way to do it. 

Supergirl’s arms curled around her. Her grip was surprisingly gentle, considering her strength. Lena hummed a little tune, but that did nothing to slow Supergirl’s tears. 

Lena did not know how long it went on, how long she sat there, holding the Girl of Steel in her arms as she sobbed. Supergirl began to speak, but Lena could not understand a word of it. Kryptonian. Kryptonese? Kryptish? She didn’t know what the language was, but assumed it was her native language. 

It was musical. Long vowels, smooth sounds. There was an occasional click, a whistle, a chirp, other sounds that may have been parts of words or may have been sounds Kryptonians made when they cried. Lena did her best to soothe Kara; the children were oddly silent. 

Slowly, slowly, she calmed. Her breathing evened out. Her shudders lessened. Several long moments passed. Lena’s legs burned from holding her position so long. She wondered if Supergirl had fallen asleep. 

She spoke. “Three weeks,” she whispered to Lena, voice rough. “I was up there for three weeks. No air. No food. No water. It was so, so cold. I knew it was cold, but I never knew it… I couldn’t move. I just hung there, staring at the sun.” 

Silence. Lena smoothed Supergirl’s hair. 

Eventually, Supergirl went on. “I… I Greeted Rao. I saw so many things. 

“I saw Kal-El deny Kon-El. I saw Kon cry at the loss of his father. I saw Lexa Luth-El cry for me when she dreamed. Kon knew he’d been denied, just as Lexa knew about me. His colic will be better now, and her nightmares should have stopped when I was rescued. 

“I know that Jeremiah has been staying here.” Supergirl’s voice was a whisper in her ear now. “I know he says he’s paraplegic. I know he isn’t, that it is part of his game. I know that he was heading Cadmus alongside your mother, that he told Cadmus about my cousin’s Fortress. I know that he is using you, that he is using your technology and your lab because it is more advanced than anything Cadmus had, and that he is trying to use Kryptonian technology to control everyone. I know that it will destroy his family.” This she said with a chocked sob.

Silence again. 

“I’m sorry, Lena,” she said. Her voice was soft, nearly silent. 

Lena did not reply, not having the words. She simply continued to hold Supergirl until her breathing evened out and her body relaxed into sleep. “It’s okay, Kara,” she said softly. 

It was slow, difficult work to stand and regain feeling in her legs. It was harder still to pull Kara into the chair and push her to the hospital bed Jeremiah had previously used, and pull her into it. “Girl of Steel. Ha. Girl of Lead, more like. What are aliens made of?” She grumbled, exhausted with the effort. 

Alas, there was no rest, not for her. The children were asleep—no colic, no night terrors—but there was one other matter to address. She went to her private elevator and took it up a few floors. Still underground, but no longer her private lab. No, this was the floor she had given Jeremiah. 

He was still awake.

“How did it go?” He asked, eyes hopeful. He gestured to the monitor. “I know she arrived and left with you, but nothing else. Success?”

“Better than expected and… not at all as expected,” Lena replied. 

Jeremiah leaned back. “Sounds like there is a story there.” He leaned to the side and released the lock on the wheels. He turned the chair and moved to her. “Good or bad?” 

“Both,” Lena answered with a heavy sigh, sitting in her normal seat. “She knows about the children but won’t touch them, not really. I have no idea where she stands on the idea of parenting.” 

Jeremiah hummed and rubbed his face. “Huh. Well, she was sent to Earth to protect and raise her cousin. Could be that she feels she failed to do that, so she doubts can do for these kids what she couldn’t do for Superman.” 

Lena nodded. “It’s possible.” Silence. “She told me a bit about what happened,” Lena said softly. She met Jeremiah’s eyes. He learned forward, face lined with concern. “She was suspended in space, like we thought. No food, water, air. She survived. Sounds like a spiritual experience, if you think about it. She said she Greeted Rao. That is the sun god, isn’t it?” 

Jeremiah nodded and sagged in his chair. “I’m just glad she’s home. I mean, it’s terrible that she had to go through that, but she lived.” He rubbed his face with a trembling hand. “She’s home. Maybe I can face my wife and daughter now that Kara is home.” 

Lena gave him a bittersweet smile. “Oh, to be able to face your family again with your head held high.” 

“You can too,” he said earnestly. “You brought Kara home. Eliza will welcome you with open arms. Alex, well, she can be skeptical, but she will understand eventually, she will welcome you into the family too.” 

A cynical laugh. “Oh Jeremiah. No, no that is not for me. I’m afraid I will never be part of the Danvers family.” 

“That’s not true!” He argued. “I’m sure that—ah!” Jeremiah jerked as the needle pierced his leg. 

“Well, that’s a relief,” Lena said, standing, and examining the needle. “That was quite a convincing act. I almost worried I was doing the wrong thing.” 

“Lena?” Jeremiah asked, his voice a plea.

“You can stop acting now,” Lena answered. “I already know you were in league with my mother.” His eyes immediately darkened, but there was no denial. “To be honest, I’m surprised that the poison is actually working. I thought for sure that mother’s experiments would have negated it. I really only intended this to slow you down so I could restrain you.” 

She grabbed another needle. “Well, might as well take advantage. I’ll just get another blood sample or two to compare to previous draws. In the meantime, I want you to know.” She jabbed this needle roughly into his arm. “That whatever scheme you have cooked up with my mother, you will fail. I will not let you harm my children.” 

Jeremiah panted, face white. “Finally… killed…mother’d…be… proud…” He gasped and choked. 

Lena nodded slowly and carefully labeled the tube of blood. “Yes, I’m sure that a mother would be proud of me for protecting my children. If you are referring to Lillian, well, we both know she would never proud of me. Truly, I’m hoping to infuriate her.” 

She looked down at him. “I trusted you, Jeremiah. When Kara told me about you, about your betrayal, I thought to myself, Jeremiah, with his kind smile, a traitor? But she knew about the children, and she knew about you. I’m not sure what really happened to her, but she knew a lot of things she could not know about.

“But really now, the only thing that should have shocked me is that I did not expect your betrayal. I am used to it after all. Fool me once, and all that.” She checked his pupils. “Not long now. Another minute or so. Don’t worry, Jeremiah. Believe it or not, I will take care of your family, just like you used to do before my mother got her claws into you. The part of you that is a good man, I’m sure, is relieved. I am sorry I did not try to bring you back, but I will not risk my children.” 

With a garbled sound, his body gave one final jerk before going limp. 

Lena tapped her chin for a moment then, grabbing a knife from one of the shelves in case he was feigning death, she went to check his pulse. Nothing. “I thought that would be far more difficult,” she muttered to herself. 

Now she needed to dispose of his body. Considering what happened with Corbin, well, she did not trust Jeremiah to stay dead. Maybe she should send him to another universe? Her message had worked, after all, but that was a signal, not a body. What to do, what to do. Well, she would work something out. She always did. 

More pressing was what to tell Kara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this is the last thing I had prewritten. I admit, the first three chapters are really more like one-shots in a series. Initially, I only planned for the one story, but a flood of comments led to writing more. Chapters two and three were intended to be one-shot follow-ups. Instead, it morphed into a story. Moving forward, the chapters should be more like chapters. 
> 
> Jeremiah being shady has been my theory since he busted Kara and Mon-El out of Cadmus. It was just too convenient. So yes, I've thought he was shady for a long time. I also wanted Kara to be an alien. It has always bothered me how human she is, when she is an alien. 
> 
> Any mistakes are mine. I am operating Beta-free, so I'm sure there are plenty. As for the thing with Greeting Rao, yes, it will be explained. Eventually. I admit, I am going to create an entire culture for Krypton. Some of it will be based on the show, some on the comics, some on other cultures, and some I'm just going to make up. 
> 
> All of that aside, I do have a question and would appreciate feedback on. I already have a plot that I want to work on. However, I also want to address the psychological aspect of the characters. Kara's trauma, as well as Lena's, and even Alex, James, Winn, and so on. While I have some things I personally want to see addressed, what would you like me to address? Anything that has bothered you, that you felt was unresolved, and would like to see put to rest? I have a list of things that have always bothered me, but I will happily address anything you, dear readers, are bothered by as well. Please leave a comment below with what you like/dislike/would like to see. I am not afraid of constructive criticism, since it is the only way I can improve. 
> 
> Thank you for your time!
> 
> Hatter


	4. Relocation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena and Kara talk a little more.

_Supergirl,_

_Given how busy you have been with your efforts to keep National City safe, I thought it appropriate to let you rest. I am taking the children to my home. I am also taking the weekend off, so I will not be returning to the lab until Monday. You are more then welcome to join us at my house. We have many issues to discuss, including how involved you would like to be in their lives. You may enter in the West Wing of the house—I will leave the balcony doors open for you._

Lena considered writing more, but decided against it, and simply wrote her address at the bottom. She looked over at Kara’s sleeping form. Sleeping, it was harder to think of her as Supergirl. That made it all the worse, because Kara was a dear friend, and to see her friend in such a state, well, it was something Lena did not want to consider further. Kara looked terrible, if Lena was being honest with herself. Tracks ran down her hollow cheeks from crying earlier, the shadows under her eyes, the tension in her body…

She’d always thought that one was supposed to look peaceful in sleep. Demons were supposed to go away, worries were to fade away until morning, and the Sandman was to wrap them in his warm embrace as they slept peacefully through the night. This was not so for Supergirl, for Kara. Even in sleep, she held herself stiffly, lips formed tight line, her jaw clenched. No, this was not restful. Her fingers twitched, wanting to move Kara’s hair from her face and tuck it behind her ear, wanting the soothe away whatever haunted her.

But she was a mother. In another life, she might have stayed and waited for Kara to wake up, soothed any nightmares, but could not. With two children, staying was not an option. She’d stayed longer than intended, what with needing to dispose of Jeremiah’s body safely. Still, she allowed herself to gently brush the hair from Kara’s face before turning to collect the children.

-R-

Supergirl had been busy all day. According to the news, Supergirl had stopped four muggings, prevented a jail break, flew a man having a heart attack to the hospital, put out a fire and saved a family of five (including the family pet, a hamster named Joey), and caught a car thief. The news was currently interviewing a woman describing how Supergirl valiantly swooped in and stopped her drunken husband from beating her.

This was quickly followed by a report of the National City Police Department on how crime rates were actually dropping. “It’s strange, I know, but we are doing better,” the spokesman said roughly. “Before Supergirl returned, when it was just Guardian and whatever organization Supergirl used to work with, crime rates were climbing on the daily. Now, though, Supergirl is back. Criminals are getting caught more regularly and publicly and only the truly reckless are trying things now. Guardian did good work, sure, but Guardian isn’t like Supergirl, and Guardian only seems to operate at night, so he clearly has a day job. Supergirl doesn’t seem to have the same worry the rest of us do. We’re just glad Supergirl is back.”

Sighing, Lena turned off the television. It was almost sundown. Supergirl had left L-Corp before noon, according to the security footage she watched from her laptop. Still, she was nowhere to be seen. Maybe she wasn’t coming. It would not surprise her. Why would a Super want anything to do with a Luthor?

Babbling drew her attention. Connor. He was a talker. Lexie was near silent unless she was screaming her discontent. No, her boy babbled at anyone near him and her girl stared solemnly, her eyes calculating for one so young. Setting aside her worry for Kara, she tended the children. “Bath time,” she told them, smiling stiffly.

The staff gone for the day (all but security, of course), Lena completed the task herself. She was well practiced at this. The first time had been a disaster, with more water on her than the children, despite that they were actually in the infant-sized tub she’d had Jess buy, allegedly for a baby-shower.

As it turned out, Connor loved to play and splash, and Lexie loved to scream and splash. Either way, bath time was a chore. This night was no different. Connor played, Lexie screamed, both splashed, and Lena was alone.

At least putting them to bed was easier. Night terrors were a thing of the past for Lexie, and Connor had slept through the night for the first time the night before. Lena hoped her luck would hold. Of course, Kara had told her that he would be better now. Perhaps it was the strange chirping sound she’d made?

Aliens.

She had been dressing for bed herself when her security alarm told her that someone was in the house, specifically in the west wing. Checking the cameras from her phone, she saw Supergirl standing in the twins’ room. Well, not their real room. Their room was connected to hers. This room was a decoy of sorts. The walls were a pale blue and covered with pictures of teddy bears and rocking horses and everything generic one expected to see in a nursery. No personality, no humanity. No life.

Slipping on her silk robe, Lena walked to the west side of the house. She paused outside the door, but it was silent within. Without a way to see in, she had no idea if Kara was still in there. Slowly she opened the door.

Kara was still there, standing in the middle of the room. Kara opened her eyes and winced at the light from the hallway, quickly looking away.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” Lena said softly.

“I… I wasn’t sure I would either.” She pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “I, uh, I got your note.”

“I see that.” Lena nodded. “Alas, they are already asleep.” The words were sharper than she intended, but it was too late to take them back.

Kara flinched. “I’ll go,” she replied, turning away.

“Don’t,” Lena said quickly, reaching out before letting her hand drop. Kara stood, her back still to Lena. “Stay. Connor and Lexie are asleep but… we still have much to discuss.”

Kara seemed to sway where she stood, but eventually gave a jerky nod. “Where are they?” Kara asked softly. “This isn’t their room.”

Lena smirked. “Let me guess. Smell?”

Kara shuddered then gave another stiff nod. “I would have known without it. The room feels empty. No warmth. It was definitely not a place where you would have children you are raising. You would give them a room filled with love.”

“And what makes you think that?” Lena’s voice was carefully neutral. “I am a Luthor. My family has never cared for such trivialities as warmth and love. Surely you know that by now.”

“Because your heart is loving and your soul is wise,” she replied. Her voice was hoarse. Lena gave her an odd look. She smiled shakily in response. “It was something we would say on Krytpon. It was rare, but some Kryptonians had… difficult lives. My people believed that adversity made a person wiser, and in their wisdom, love more deeply. They became our greatest leaders.”

Lena made no comment on the subject, merely turning away and walking down the hallway. Kara followed. Lena frowned as they walked. It was silent. There was nothing, no rambling from Kara Danvers. But then, she had come as Supergirl, so Lena supposed she would not.

Lena opened a door. Soft cream walls, white trim, a tree painted on one wall with LEXIE and CONNOR written in the leaves, along with LENA and LEX and KARA. Kara looked at the tree and nodded, making no comment on the presence of Lex Luthor’s name on the family tree, or the presence of her own name. In the corner was a white cradle with two sleeping figures. Kara and Lena moved together, standing side-by-side as they gazed at the sleeping infants.

Kara shifted, uncomfortable.

Lena looked at her, lifting a delicate brow. “Problem?” She asked.

Kara gave a stiff, awkward shrug. “They, uh, they are wearing white.” She rubbed her face. “On Krypton, it was forbidden to wear this color unless…” She trailed off.

Lena softened, if only slightly. “Unless?”

Turning, Kara met her eyes solemnly. “On Krypton, white is a color of mourning and sacrifice. It’s a bad omen. Wearing white brings heartbreak, so it was only worn by those Marked by Rao. It was illegal for anyone but those people to wear white.”

“But how would they know?” Lena asked. She walked to a dresser and pulled out two sleepers, both a soft blue.

Kara sighed. “There were machines that could read DNA. They recognized the Mark of Rao on an infant. I… it’s not a pleasant topic.”

Lena nodded and began to change Connor. Patience, she reminded herself. Something was very wrong with Kara. She needed to move slowly. It was easy in many ways, however frustrating. Luthors were good at playing the long game. She could wait.

Kara reached for the other sleeper, but pulled back before she touched it, folding her arms to hide her trembling hands. Instead, she watched Lena work. Lena was tempted to be annoyed, but Kara seemed almost in awe of her, watching such a mundane task. “Thank you,” she said softly, her voice a mere whisper.

“The children,” Lena asked as she began to change Lexie. “You called them Kon-El and Lexa Luth-El. Can you explain their names to me?”

Silence for a moment. “El is our family name. This symbol,” she touched the glyph on her chest, “is our Coat of Arms. Everyone in our House bears the name of El. Males only take the name of their house. For him, he has two fathers, so he would take the name of the stronger house. Rao decreed he was part of the House of El. She was named for us,” Kara admitted, watching the child in question. “This was how it was done for, uh, for two women who had a child. The daughter took the name of both Houses. She is of the House of Luthor as much as she is of the House of El.”

“So same sex-couples existed on Krypton?” Lena asked, carefully keeping her voice even, as if they only discussed the weather.

Kara nodded. “It was common. The DNA had to be compatible, though, or the child would not be able to sustain life.”

Lena gave her a sharp look. “So people in a relationship might not be able to have a child, no matter what?”

“Sometimes the DNA strands refused to combine, yes.”

“That happened here,” Lena said slowly. “There were dozens of trials with your blood, but your DNA would not combine with anyone’s except…. And it was the same for Superman.”

Kara nodded, not meeting her eyes. “On an entire planet, a Kryptonian may only have a dozen compatible matches.”

“I see. And marriage was based on genetic compatibility.”

Kara nodded, though her face had paled dramatically.

Lena wanted to ask more, wanted to know what it meant that they shared a daughter, that Lex and Superman shared a son, but by the look on Kara’s face, she had reached her limit. Understanding Kara’s silent plea, she moved on. “Indeed. How interesting. Perhaps we can revisit this topic another day. For now, we should discuss the children.”

“I… I can’t take them,” Kara admitted slowly. “I don’t have a place to live anymore.” She winced. “I was gone too long.”

Yes, Lena knew that. She’d been furious when she found out. Alex had not been able to cover the rent for her sister’s apartment, and whatever organization she worked for decided not to help either, so she’d taken her possessions… somewhere, probably some underground bunker. Mercy, but if the woman had swallowed her pride and asked Lena, she would have bought the entire building just to maintain Kara’s apartment.

It was too late for that, however. “I have several spare rooms,” Lena offered. “It would be… a preferable arrangement.” Kara looked at her. “You would provide further protection in the eventuality of an attack—with two Supers who have not developed powers, it’s only a matter of time before someone comes for them. Cadmus kept it under lock and key, but that does not mean it will stay that way. You can see them, teach them of Krypton, and offer protection. You can still be part of their lives.”

Several moments passed in silence before Kara mumbled something and sidled from one foot to the other. Understanding she would not get an answer, Lena simply bid her goodnight. It was a show of trust, leaving her in the room with the children while she slept next door. Hopefully Kara would see the gesture for what it truly was. Lena retreated to her room and slept easily for the first time in a long time.

In the morning, Lena woke and went to check the children. She’d slept longer than she expected. Sunlight filtered through the bulletproof glass of the lead-lined widow. Both were sitting up and babbling to each other. Well, Connor babbled. Lexie stared, as she was wont to do. Lena frowned. Both had their diapers changed. Neither wore the sleepers from the night before, though they were dressed for the day, Connor in red and Lexie in blue.

Kara was nowhere to be found.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So, I have a rant. I normally am not one to do this, but I have been particularly upset by Mon-El for these last several episodes and I just need to get this out of my system. 
> 
> First off, though, what I am about to say can be triggering. Seriously. The topic relates directly to Mon-El’s behaviors, but goes even further than that. That said, please be aware that my rant may trigger you, so you may want to skip it. 
> 
> For this to make sense, you will need to know what I do for a living. I’m a therapist, but I work exclusively with teenage boys who have sexually offended. Yes, you read correctly. Take a moment to be squicked—I don’t mind. I work with teenage boys who have touched/molested/raped/etc. other people. I spend hours every day going toe-to-toe with these kids on why they did what they did and how to not do this again and how to make everyone safe. I do this to help these kids move on and live healthy lives one day, yes, but mostly I do it to bring some measure of peace to their victims and prevent more victims. 
> 
> I teach these kids that no means no. Mon-El teaches them that they can get what/who they want if they persist. I teach them not to kiss/touch/whatever without permission. Mon-El teaches them to do what they want regardless of what the other person says. I teach them to be honest. Mon-El teaches them to build relationships on a foundation of lies. I teach the to call women by their names and treat them with respect. Mon-El makes jokes about objectifying women. I teach them that drugs and/or life circumstances do not excuse their behaviors, that they cannot claim they are not at fault by virtue of being high or drunk or whatever, because they chose to use in the first place. According to Mon-El, it is perfectly okay to do what you want if you are drugged/think you are about to die, regardless of if it hurts the other person. I teach kids about healthy relationships, about communication and genuine care and compromise. Mon-El clearly demonstrates that it is okay to manipulate your partner. 
> 
> I spend anywhere from 10-12 hours a day working with these kids, trying to make the world a safer place. I’m exhausted when I get home. I do so much, regardless of how small the scale, but I put everything I have into it, and honestly? I see how normalized these behaviors are in every day media and I’m just so tired of it all. I’m tired, period. 
> 
> Confession time. I’m a straight woman. Seriously. Yet here I am, writing a Supercorp story, because I ship based on chemistry and health, and you know what? Kara and Lena have the one of the healthiest relationships on the show. And the chemistry? Out of this world (pardon the pun). So yes, you can tell others that straight people ship Supercorp if you’d like. 
> 
> But seriously, I’m so tired of Mon-El. I try to find redemptive qualities in everyone, but the writers have a lot of work ahead of them if they want me to like a guy who flies in the face of everything I try to do for people. 
> 
> I apologize for how long this was, but I really needed to get this off my chest. 
> 
> Thanks everyone.
> 
> Hatter


	5. Interlude:  Respiration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an interlude, not an actual chapter, so it is quite a bit shorter. As a bit of a disclaimer, I do not watch Legends, so I'm going to avoid most of those characters since I don't know them. A far as this, however, please let me know what you think, I appreciate feedback in all forms.

Sara would never tell anyone that she had been sick when she finally pulled Kara aboard the Wave Rider.

 

It had been a cheery jaunt at first, the exciting thrill of being so close to finding a somewhat-friend.For better or worse, she would find Kara and return her to her home.Felicity groaned.She found the trail, but it went cold for reasons unknown, but she sent her the coordinates and the trajectory she had followed.Sara plotted the course and… there.

 

Her first view was deceiving.All she saw was a silhouette, a small figure in the distance, so faint it might be just another piece of debris.Drawing closer, she could see the figure, could see Kara.She was hard to make out, just a smudge of darkness against the sun.But then, Kara became clearer.There she was, suspended in nothingness, and Sara’s first thought was of a dancer.Kara floated, seeming to lean back so far that she might fall if she stood on the ground, one hand gracefully flung out toward the sun, the other raised above her.Honey-colored hair was swept up, hiding her face.She was swathed in red—her cape wrapped around her, motionless in the stillness of space.Sara’s breath caught at the sheer beauty of the sight before her.

 

Truly, it was something she might see in a painting, a sprite dancing among stars.

 

The beauty was ruined when Sara remember that it was her sort-of friend hanging there.Frowning in concentration, Sara focused on Kara and carefully, carefully, pulled her inside the empty ship (for the sake of dignity, she told herself when she took off, because the others didn’t know her, and Sara would be damned if Kara woke up to a face she did not know—if she woke up at all).Setting the Wave Rider on a course back to Earth, Sara ran for all she was worth to Kara and when she reached her, she promptly retched in the corner.

 

Sara knew what space did to a body that was not protected by a suit.She expected the bloated body from the lack of air pressure and bubbles under the charred skin from the unfiltered radiation.She’d done the research.As an assassin, she’d seen her fair share of blood and gore.She was ready, she was prepared for what she would see.It was, in part, why she wanted to do this alone.

 

Kara was none of those things. She looked the same as she had before she launched herself into space, but for the pose she seemed to be frozen in, the hand that previously reached for the sun now stretching out to Sara herself.This was not the source of Sara’s unease.That dubious honor went to Kara’s eyes.Her blue, blue eyes were covered in a milky white film, beads of something like ice in the corners, but looked right at Sara, seeming to plead with her, seeming to beg for something that Sara could not give.Her lips were parted in a silent scream, and it was the shear grief etched into every line in her sort-of friend’s face that caused her to turn away, sick at the sight.

 

“Gideon?”Sara asked roughly.“Is Kara… how is she?”

 

“The Kryptonian Kara does not have a pulse and appears to be dead,” Gideon answered, voice distant and clinical as ever.Sara’s shoulders slumped as she felt bile rise in her throat again.“There appears to be strange levels of brain activity, however.”

 

Wiping her mouth on her sleeve, Sara forced herself up and grabbed the solar lamp.“Let’s see if this does any good,” she muttered to herself.She turned the lamp on, focused on Kara.

 

There was little change by they time she reached Earth. Her hair had thawed, for lack of a better term, and lay limply around her, and the same was true of her cape.Some of the white film had faded away, making the blue of her eyes more visible, and the beads had melted, leaving what looked to be tear tracks down her frozen cheeks.Sara used her sleeve to wipe them away before anyone saw, trying to give Kara that little bit of dignity.It wasn’t much better, and the sight of her made many of the others cringe and look away.

 

There was no change when they got her to STAR Labs, where Felicity murmured about the odd change in Kara’s DNA signature.There was no change when Caitlyn checked her vitals for the third time to find no pulse and her brain working non-stop.There was no change as Cisco muttered about wishing Jeremiah was there to help with this.There was no change as Iris tried to soothe Barry while he paced, wearing out the floor where he walked.

 

There was no change until the following morning, when Kara’s body had warmed enough that Kara’s heart began to beat and the blood could flow through her body and finally, finally, Kara took a breath.It was sudden, and she was coughing and gasping and choking—but breathing. 


	6. Reception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena meets a trio of travelers and is unimpressed; Superman steps in and the people of National City find him wanting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has been so long, but work is crazy nowadays. I wish I could post more often, but I can't guarantee it. I also admit that this chapter is not the most interesting, but it sets up more for the plot to pick up in the next chapter. Hope you like it. Let me know what you think in the comments. 
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Hatter

Life was simpler now. Not easier, because she still had two children, was still running L-Corp, was still a Luthor, and was still worried that Lillian might escape. Or that Lex might learn of Connor and escape. But life was simpler because while the days were hers, the nights were Kara’s, and Lena was finally able to sleep in peace.

 

Lena barely saw Kara, true, but life had calmed with her in it. Each morning, Lena woke to find both Lexie and Connor had been changed, fed, burped, and dressed for the day. The occasional stray toy that would normally have been tossed out of the crib in the night for Lena to pick up in the morning was always put away. Best of all, they always slept through the night. No night terrors, no colic, just peaceful dreams.

 

During the day, she would have to take frequent breaks to see the children, to care for them as Jeremiah used to do. When she would return to her desk, lunch would be waiting. At first, she thought it was Jess, but between her denial and genuine puzzlement, it was easy for Lena to determine that Kara was the culprit. Once, she found plumerias on her desk.

 

It was not quite like they were splitting the workload, but Lena was pleased with the effort Kara was making all the same. After all, no one knew what really happened on the other Earth, so any effort Kara made was important. It would be some time before Kara was herself again but Lena was a patient woman.

 

She was not quite willing to admit how much she missed Kara. Her smile, her laugh, her warmth. But now she was back, even if not completely. Little hints of her were all around the nursery, and that soothed Lena more than she would say aloud. She was… not happy with the arrangement, but she was content.

 

“Miss Luthor,” Jess’ voice buzzed over the speaker on her desk.

 

“What is it, Jess?”

 

“There are people here.” Jess hesitated. “They claim to be here on behalf of Miss Danvers.”

 

Lena’s eyes flashed to her laptop where she could watch a live feed of who was in her building. Interesting. What were they doing here? It didn’t matter. She’d wanted to exchange words with them for some time now.

 

“Send them in, Jess, and reschedule my next meeting.”

 

“Right away, Miss Luthor.”

 

A few minutes later, she heard the familiar _ding!_ of the elevator.

 

“My, I must say I was not expecting to be visited by heroes of a parallel universe again, at least not so soon,” she quipped, not looking up from her meaningless paperwork. From the corner of her eye, she saw the suavely scruffy man (the Green Arrow, she guessed) look at the man she knew to be the Flash. Standing off to the left was the White Canary. Lena finally looked up. “What can I do for such intrepid travellers? If you’re interested in borrowing a superhero from my universe, I’m afraid none of them are available. You’ll have to make do with what you have.”

 

The Flash swallowed and shifted nervously. “I… we… we wanted to see how, uh, Supergirl is.”

 

Lena looked at them. “Terrible,” she informed them bluntly. Flash jerked back, startled at her response. Green Arrow and White Canary stood, stoic. Interesting. “She hasn’t spoken to anyone in her adopted family, barely acknowledges the people she saves, hasn’t been seen at her job since returning, not that is matters since you delayed so long in bringing her home—she was fired and as there was no one to pay her rent she’s now homeless.” Flash looked at her, slack-jawed and horrified. Lena looked at him coldly. “I can’t tell if you are brave or foolish for coming here after what you’ve done.”

 

“Kara made her choice,” White Canary said firmly.

 

“So you said the last time you were here. I maintain you blatantly took advantage of her bleeding heart, but my words will be ignored, I’m sure. Suffice to say I will allow you to stay for a moment more to determine what you want, but you are not entirely welcome here, not after the…” she considered her words, “role you played in her predicament.” She picked up her pen for no other reason than to have something to hold. “What do you want?”

 

Flash seemed to deflate. “We’re worried,” he admitted. “When we found her, she didn’t look so good.”

 

“An understatement, I’m sure.”

 

“What did you mean when you said she hasn’t spoken to anyone in her adopted family?” Green Arrow asked.

 

“I should hope the answer to that question is fairly obvious,” Lena replied drily.

 

He frowned more, somehow. “I mean, has she talked to anyone outside of her family? You, maybe? I mean, you know she hasn’t spoken to her family.”

 

“I speak to her sister on a weekly basis, so I am well aware that the two are not in contact.”

 

“And Jeremiah?” Flash asked.

 

Lena rolled her eyes with artful impatience. “Had to take a leave of absence, courtesy of his long stay with CADMUS where he was tortured for years. But no, she hasn’t spoken to him either. Now, I’ve answered your vapid questions. Perhaps now would be a good time for you to run along and return to your own world? I’m sure you have things to do there that require your immediate attention. Never mind about Supergirl—she will be fine in time.”

 

White Canary stepped forward, examining her closely. Lena met her gaze, surprised to see the eyes of a predator starting at her. It was strange that, for the most fleeting of moments, she felt like the prey before amusement crept in. Dangerous as the White Canary fancied herself, she was not raised in the Luthor Household. Between Lex’s growing madness, Lillian’s frigidity, and Lionel’s (rare but horrifying) drunken rages, well, the bird before had no idea how unintimidating she really was to Lena.

 

“She cares about you,” White Canary said. “I don’t know why, because I think you’re a bitch, but she does. That’s just who she is, and that is the only reason I’m going to reign myself in. I know your type, so I also know that the concept of friendship is foreign to you, but do try to keep up with the conversation. We are here as her friends. We came to check up on her.” White Canary looked at her in mock-innocence. “Questions?”

 

Amused, Lena stood slowly, deliberately, and leaned forward just as sirens in the distance pulled her back to the moment. She frowned. They were not close, so L-Corp was secure, but the sirens were loud. In National City, it was a cry for help, never mind that a simple shout would do. “It must be serious,” she murmured to herself. Against her better judgment, and mindful of her unwanted visitors, Lena pulled up a live feed of the news and projected it onto the far wall. Let them see for themselves how Kara faired after her return, let them see what they had wrought.

 

Supergirl was front and center on the screen, looking as solemn as ever with her cold eyes and hollow cheeks. She was evacuating the children from a hospital while the newscaster talked about a bomb threat to the children’s ward by some villain-of-the-day out to make a name for himself. She didn’t even smile when the children thanked her, instead turning away and going back to the hospital.

 

She and the travellers watched for several minutes until they were sure the children were all safe. Rolling her eyes, Lena prepared to turn of the newsfeed when Supergirl froze on the screen as she looked at the masked man in front of her. Lena watched the look of stern concentration melt into grief and resignation. Her shoulders slumped and her lips parted in a sigh of acceptance. Lena stepped closer to the screen, worry gripping her. This… something had gone terribly wrong. Panic began to rise, but Lena pushed the feeling away. Panic had never served to help her in the past.

 

Then Supergirl was back in action, and quickly grabbed the trigger for the bomb from the man and disarmed his two thugs. She knocked them out and turned—just as a green dart pierced her shoulder. Lena watched in horror as Supergirl swayed before crashing down on her knees, the cement giving way beneath her Krytponian strength. Slack-jawed, Supergirl struggled to her feet, pulled the glowing dart from her with trembling hands, staggered a few steps, and fell forward. The camera zoomed in on her face just as her eyes fluttered and closed. She did not rise.

 

For a moment, there was only stunned silence as even the reporter looked on, alarmed at the sight of the fallen hero. Then Superman was there, white teeth gleaming in his confident smile as he assured the people of National City that Supergirl was fine, truly, he simply needed to talk to her and make sure everything was okay. There was no need to be worried, it was just a check-in with her, he explained with an overt big-brother tone.

 

“Superman,” she muttered, the name dripping with disdain. Oh, how she loathed that man.

 

He made it seem as if this whole matter was simply his stubborn younger sister avoiding him after her inter-dimensional trip, and he had to be the mature one and bring her to heel. It was just a few words shy of an officer’s “move along, nothing to see here, nothing to see” and it made her stomach turn. That it was so patronizing to the city’s heroine did not help matters. Based on the frowns of those around her, Flash, Green Arrow, and White Canary agreed with her assessment. Even better, the reporters on scene did not seem to believe it either, but none of them dared question the Man of Steel of air.

 

Lips pulled up in a sneer, Lena pulled out her cell phone as she turned off the newsfeed. The travellers watched her, tense. Searching for a number, she paged her assistant. “Jess, I need you to clear my schedule for the rest of the day. Tell Alana she does not need to come in tonight. Everyone is to be sent home within the next 20 minutes—they will, of course, be paid as if they were here for the full day. I will need you to stay on for a short while, but you will be naturally compensated. I am expecting company later—you may leave after they arrive.”

 

“Right away, Miss Luthor.”

 

Lena held the phone to her ear as it rang, ignoring the way Flash shifted uncomfortably, probably chaffing at not doing anything. No answer. “Good afternoon, Miss Danvers, this is Lena Luthor. I need to speak with you on an urgent matter regarding Supergirl and Cadmus. No need to call back—I’ll have my assistant make a note to admit you to my office upon your arrival.” No sooner did she hang up than the familiar light began to flash. It had been weeks since her alarm had gone off. Damn.

 

What to do, what to do. From the way the other two were looking at her, they recognized the light as an alarm. Decision time. She sneered, the war between her mind and her heart, between being a Luthor and a mother, raged within. The fear of being anything like Lillian won out.

 

Lena walked calmly to her elevator and stepped in, holding the door. She raised a slender brow at the heroes. They shared a look, but followed her all the same. They were calm, but Flash seemed tense, unsure, while the other two had the relaxed air of a reptile, poised to attack when the prey was close.

 

Accustomed to this game, Lena had long since schooled her body to obey her commands, and maintained her confident aura. “I want you to know that only a privileged few have been to my private labs,” she said calmly, tone measured. Canary tensed. Interesting. “Given the nature of your work, I trust you can keep a secret, however, so there will be no need to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement. Not for me, of course, but if Kara is truly your friend, then you will keep your peace.”

 

The doors opened, and the four were immediately assaulted by a new sound.

 

Lena quickly left the elevator, and strode to her children. Both were sobbing, inconsolable, as she tended to them. Lexie screamed her fury and Connor howled his grief. Taking a breath, she reached out and tried to soothe them, but her attempts were in vain. She pursed her lips, unwilling to so much as frown at her children. Time would change that, maybe, but she feared that their first memory of her would be of her scowling at them the way her first memory of Lillian was… well, the less she thought of that the better.

 

“Mommy needs you to be quiet,” Lena whispered to them. “The walls are lined with lead but that doesn’t mean someone won’t hear you. Hush, Loves, hush. Mommy is here now, and she will find a way to bring your Mama home to you.”

 

She lifted Lexie in her arms and turned to face to gaping heroes. The two men were struck dumb, but the White Canary seemed to have guessed what was really happening. “My mother always liked the idea of power, and apparently thought she could rival God. To do this, she saw fit to create a new life. This is Lexie. She is my daughter, Kara’s daughter.”

 

Stepping toward Flash, she continued. “It would seem that Kryptonians have very peculiar family bonds. You see, for the first several months of Lexie’s life, she had nightmares. It was terrible. When Kara returned, she informed me that Lexie dreamed of her. I don’t know very much of Kara’s time in your world, but I know she cannot speak of that time with any coherence, and I now that it was horrifying enough that it gave our infant daughter night terrors for months on end. Can you imagine trying to soothe a baby that is so terrified of sleeping?”

 

Lena saw horror in Flash’s eyes, but she was not done twisting the knife.

 

“Six months, roughly, of night terrors. Poor baby had to watch her Mama suffer, and never even got to see her Mama’s face with her own eyes.” She looked up at the trio. “Do you want to hold her? I can’t stop the crying, regretfully. Kryptonians have stronger familial bonds. The children, both of them, Kara’s daughter and her adopted son, both of them are bonded to her and now she is in distress. That’s why you will have to be quick if you want to hold her. You see, they won’t stop until she is free. Taking that into consideration, I really do need to find out a way to get Kara away from her cousin and whoever he enlisted to capture her just because he thinks he knows better.” She raised a brow. “So?”

 

“The DEO,” Flash blurted, face red. “Those agents work for the DEO. I’ve seen them before.”

 

“That wasn’t a secret?” Green Arrow asked.

 

“Probably,” Flash replied.

 

“One of the worst kept secrets possible,” Lena answered over Lexie’s sobs. She set her daughter back in the crib. “For a secret organization, many know about it.” She sighed. Connor was screaming now.

 

She turned back. “If you are not going to be of any help, perhaps now would be a good time to leave. Courtesy of Superman and his supposed-superiority, I know have to reveal the children to Kara’s sister—without Kara’s permission—to try and get her released.”

  

The three heroes shared a look. “Maybe we can help with that,” White Canary offered. 

**Author's Note:**

> Having watched the crossover, I was very let down at how little Supergirl was used. I was also annoyed that the crossover didn't really involve Supergirl's show. There was the scene at the end, which for those who didn't watch, was basically copied and pasted into the episode of the Flash. There were a lot of chances they had to use Kara better than they did. Alas, she was pretty much used for training and that was it. This does reflect a lot of what happened, with the exception of the bit with Prometheus. That I just made up. This, I think, would have actually made 2x08 a crossover. It would also lead to Supercorp, which I definitely ship. 
> 
> This was, for a brief time, a one-shot but a surprising number of comments persuaded me to continue it. That said, any feedback you have would be greatly appreciated.


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